Wednesday, November 27, 2019

2019.11.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Ruth 2:1-7

Questions from the Scripture text: Who had a relative (Ruth 2:1)? What did that man have? What was his name? What does Ruth 2:2 call Ruth? To whom does she speak? What does she ask? What does Naomi answer? Where did Ruth go to do what (Ruth 2:3)? To whose part of the field did she come? What does verse 3 tell us for the second time? Who arrived in Ruth 2:4? From where? How does he great his reapers? How do they greet him? To whom does Boaz speak in Ruth 2:5? What does he ask? How does the supervisor identify Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:6? What does he report Ruth to have asked (Ruth 2:7)? What does he report about Ruth’s activity that day?
Ruth 2:3 says, “She happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.” The Hebrew literally says, “it happened by chance.” But the point of the text is actually the opposite! Although Ruth did not know or intend to go to Boaz’s field specifically, God has providentially directed her there.

But the sovereignty of God has been directing much more than field-gleaning locations. Here is a Moabitess who submits respectfully to her dead husband’s mother, who isn’t too proud to take the role the law assigned to the very poor, and who isn’t afraid of hard work. We know where her character came from, because in Ruth 1:17 we heard her say “Yahweh do so to me and more also.”

And here is a man who, even though he is an Israelite, lives in the time of the judges, when there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. And what’s the first thing we hear from his lips? “Yahweh be with you!”

He is a wealthy man, but has come to the field himself for reaping. And he is a godly man, who blesses in the covenant name of God. He has also hired godly men, who return to him also a blessing in the name of Yahweh.

Even if we had not read the book many times before, we might already be thinking, “this is a match made in heaven!” And so it is. “And it happened by chance” that she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.”

The chief reaper seems to think so too—or at least understand that his boss might be thinking so. Boaz only asks, “to whom does the young woman belong”? But the reaper not only identifies her as that amazing Moabitess who has the entire town astir with her kindness to her mother-in-law (cf. Ruth 1:19), but he is careful to note also her respectfulness and industriousness (Ruth 2:7).

God knows what He is doing, and it is when we don’t that it is especially important for us to remember this!
What is an example from your life, when you were clueless, but God was working perfectly?
Suggested Songs: ARP183 “Under His Wings” or TPH256 “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”

No comments:

Post a Comment